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The Flower Adornment Sutra: A Commentary by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua: Chapter One: Part Five

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The Flower Adornment Sutra:
A Commentary by the Venerable Master Hsuan HuaChapter One: The Wondrous Adornments of the Rulers of the Worlds
Translated in the Tang Dynasty by the Tripitaka Master Srãmana Siksananda of Khotan

We are now holding a Buddha Recitation Session. For seven days, we gather together to recite “NamoAmitabha Buddha.” This is a rare opportunity. Those who believe in the Buddha should take time out of their busy schedule to join the recitation. When you recite the Buddha’sname on your own, sometimes you have to pause and can’t keep reciting continuously. When everyone recites together, the recitation can continue without interruption. There is a verse that goes,

During these seven days, we must be determined to attain the Buddha Recitation Samadhi, for then we will not have wasted our efforts. The more suffering it is, the more you must recite. The more difficult it is, the more you have to recite. Don’t be afraid of suffering or difficulty. Don’t think so highly of your stinking skinbag. You sit for awhile, and your back starts to ache. You walk a little, and your feet hurt. After reciting for a long time, your throat gets dry and your voice grows hoarse. You decide you can’t take it anymore. Who is it who can’t take it? Why do you place so much importance on your stinking skinbag? We should forget our bodies for the Dharma! For the sake of the Buddhadharma, we should disregard our false shell of a body. You may cherish and pamper your body right now, taking care not to let it get sick, get cold, get hungry, or get thirsty. You help it and protect it and lavish lots of attention upon it. But after you have done this for a long time, it will no longer help you out. Bit by bit, it will quit on you. The eyes will quit on you, and then you won‘t be able to see clearly. The ears will quit and grow deaf, saying, “You’ve used us for such a long time; now it’s time to give us our freedom.” Your arms and legs will become feeble and unable to move, also resigning their jobs. At that time, no matter how dearly you cherish your body, it won’t take orders from you anymore.

Now when you are still healthy, it’s the perfect time to recite the Buddha‘s name. You can still “borrow what’s false to cultivate what’s true.” Each of you should pay attention to this. You should not say, “Last year I attended the recitation but didn‘t get anything out of it, so I don’t feel like attending this year.” That‘s the wrong attitude. If you didn’t gain any advantages last year, you should work even harder this year and be determined to gain some benefit. You should vigorously advance in your practice instead of retreating. It shouldn‘t be that:

When you have studied Buddhism for one year, the Buddha is right in front of you.
When you studied Buddhism for ten years, the Buddha is far away on the horizon.”

You ought to be more vigorous and sincere with each passing day. Then you will accomplish something.

I have another piece of good news to tell everyone. We have two Bhikshus who are doing a “three steps one bow” pilgrimage to Seattle in order to pray for worldpeace. Now there will not be any major disasters in the world. There might be some minor mishaps, but nothing to worry about. These two Bhikshus have reversed the tides of destiny, making it so that there are much fewer people dying in the world than there would have been. Everyone at Gold Mountain Monastery should be aware of this, especially since two weeks ago, we all made a vow that wherever the bowing monks were, it could rain there either the day before or the day after they were there, but not rain while they were there. Or, it could rain at night, but not during the daytime, for the rain would make it very miserable for them. These conditions have already been fulfilled. After we made that vow, there was no more rain, but only a little fog. Fog is not much of a problem, but it would be better if the fog vanished as well. That would make it easier for them to carry out their vow.

All of you should think it over: Despite all the suffering that they have to go through, they still go ahead and apply effort in cultivation. How does our recitation of the Buddha‘s name indoors compare to that? It can’t be considered suffering by any means. Therefore, we ought to recite diligently so we can attain the Buddha Recitation Samadhi.

After the lecture is over, we will do the Great Transference of Merit. Each one of you should transfer the merit with a true, sincere, and resolute heart. Don‘t let the time pass by in vain.

Which finger represents the Middle Way? (Answer: The third.) Which one is the mundanetruth? (Answer: The first.) Which one is the absolute truth? (Answer: The second.) How do you know? [Answer is inaudible.] Your wisdom is not bad.

The Buddha answered, “Suppose there are a hundred blind men who go to a good doctor hoping to regain their sight. The doctor uses a miniature knife and cuts off the film over one man’s eyes. Then he puts up one finger and asks, ‘Do you see anything?’ The man says no.” The first finger represents the mundanetruth, and so the man cannot see it. Even Bodhisattvas cannot see the Buddha nature. As for the second and third fingers, the man says he can see them slightly. The eye refers to the wisdom eye. Once your wisdom unfolds, you can understand true principle.

Another interpretation of the three fingers is that they represent the three great asamkhyeyas of eons. National MasterQingliang chooses the interpretation of the three fingers as representing the Three Truths, which is more reasonable.

Medicine-ruling SpiritPure Destroyer of Darkness gained a passage into liberation of curing all blind and dull beings. “Curing all blind and dull beings” means destroying all their ignorance and purifying their wisdom eye. All sentient beings have the wisdom eye. Why did I tell you to explain this passage of the sutra? I wanted to see whether or not you have opened your wisdom eye. If you have opened your wisdom eye, you can see that the five skandhas are all empty and thoroughly understand the true appearance of all dharmas. You can also deeply enter the sutra treasury and have wisdom like the sea. People who have wisdom like the sea can explain a text without having studied it before. They are able to lecture on all the sutras without having studied them. Their ability to lecture is different from that of people who have studied it from others. If you have the wisdom eye, then the words just flow forth from your own nature. The wisdom eye destroys ignorance. Ignorantpeople are as if blind and dull. Dull, obstinate beings don’t listen to others and don’t want anyone telling them what to do. They don’t follow rules. Han Yu wrote an essay on “Sacrifice to an Alligator,” saying, “If you continue to be stubborn, I will lead an army of mounted soldiers here and have them shoot and kill you with poisoned arrows.” After that burst of temper, the alligator went away. Alligators are not dull and obtuse; they can understand. Here, “dull beings” refers to those who don‘t follow rules or listen to instructions. There is no way to teach them.

According to Confucianphilosophy, such people cannot lead others; they don‘t have leadership ability. However, they won’t take orders either. They won‘t be bossed around by others. People who can’t lead others, and who won‘t be led by others, are useless, dead things.

I’m just the same as you. I’m not any different. I’ve been talking so much that I forgot about the time. I won’t ramble on any longer. Once you open the Five Eyes, there are a lot of hassles. When it happens, you‘ll know what I’m talking about. You‘ll be able see into the heavens and the hells; you’ll see people, and you‘ll also see ghosts. I will tell you this: Seeing so many things, if you can’t concentrate and don’t have enough samadhi, it’s easy to get possessed by a demon. Whether or not you open your Eyes is not important. You shouldn’t think there are great advantages to opening the Eyes. With your Eyes open, you get to spend more time watching movies, watching the radar screen, watching television. If you haven‘t opened your Eyes, you can be a country bumpkin, which is not bad! If you open your Eyes, it’s like going to the big city and seeing all the shows, movies, and casinos--seeing too many things. City dwellers and country dwellers lead different lifestyles, but some of them still manage to keep their minds free from affliction. Once you open the Five Eyes, it’s like you have five more radars that you have to monitor o see if a jet is flying by or an atomic bomb is coming your way. Wouldn’t you say it’s a lot of trouble? Without those radars, you wouldn’t know what was coming, and nothing would come anyway, so it’s pretty relaxing.

Medicine-ruling Spirit Universally Roaring makes a sound that pervades the Dharma Realm, waking beings throughout the Dharma Realm up from their muddled dreams. She shouts, “Wake up now! Don’t sleep anymore! Those who work should go to work. Those who cultivate should cultivate. Those who eat should eat. Those who sleep should wait until nighttime to sleep.” Hearing her shout, people rub their eyes, chasing away the sleeping bugs, and go to Morning Recitation. Ding-ding-dong! The wooden fish goes Bo-bo-bo! After that, they sit in meditation, then recite the Buddha’sname. Why can they do this? It’s because the Medicine-ruling Spirit Universally Roaring woke us all up. When we hit the boards in the morning, they are speaking on behalf of that Medicine-ruling Spirit. I’m not joking with you. That’s just how insentient things speak the Dharma.

A single source divides into a myriad things.
The myriad things all return to the single source.

One can become limitless; limitless can become one. The characters for “different” should be pronounced chi bie. Some people say that my pronunciation is wrong, that chi should be cha. [When pronounced cha, the word means “to err, to mistake.”] It’s not known who is mistaken here. Am I mistaken? Or are you? Since I don’t want to be mistaken, I read it as chi. Chi bie means distinction or difference. When one becomes limitless, all dharmas refer to many dharmas. When the limitless become one, it refers to one dharma.

Once you attain the root, you won’t worry about the branchtips. What is the root? It is the one dharma.

When the one is attained, all things are done.

If you attain the one, then you have completed everything. What does it mean to attain the one? Actually, attaining the one is not sufficient. “How is it insufficient?” you ask. “It is said, ‘When Heaven attains the one, it is clear. When Earth attains the one, it is peaceful. When people attain the one, they are Sages.’ If you attain the one, you are a Sage. How is that insufficient?”

Attaining the one is not enough. You must turn the one into zero. If you can understand the zero, you will have attained the root.

For example, I encountered a heterodox sect when I was in Manchuria. This heterodox sect claimed that it could make people into emperors. The leader said, “If you join my sect, you can become a king in the future. However, if you don’t join, you may not even get to be an ordinary citizen.” Such talk provokes greed in people. Such a person was an evil advisor. Therefore, in cultivation, we must have Dharma-selecting vision and be able to distinguish between proper and deviant, right and wrong. When it is the Way, we should advance upon it. When it is not the Way, we should retreat from it.

There is an idiom, “To do less work and use inferior materials.” If you don’t understand what that means, it’s like the dharma of waiting around for nails. Probably most of you have attained this samadhi. Hearing about this dharma, everyone smiles, just as VenerableMahakashyapa did when he saw the Buddha twirl a flower. But this is merely the dharma of waiting for nails. If you attain the dharma of hitting nails, then you’ll be set. If you hit nails instead of waiting for them, then you are not “doing less work.” Doing less work means that when you are supposed to do a day’s work, you do only half a day’s work but take the pay for a full day. An example of using inferior materials is, if you are supposed to use an ounce of gold, you use only eight-tenths of an ounce. You are basically stealing the gold. Our work in cultivation is worth more than diamonds. If you try to get by doing less work and using shoddy materials, you are only cheating yourself. This is the principle that, “If the husband cultivates, the husband gets enlightened. If the wife cultivates, the wife gets enlightened. If you don’t cultivate, you don’t attain anything.”

Reciting the Buddha’sname can eradicate any illnesses that sentient beings might have. “No way, Dharma Master, you’re cheating people! Before I recited the Buddha’sname, I was fine. Now that I’m reciting the Buddha’sname, I’ve also gotten sick. How can you say that reciting the Buddha’sname cures all illnesses? That’s an outright lie!” Actually, getting sick is also eradicating sickness. If you didn’t get sick, how could your sickness be eradicated? Think it over. If you get sick and then your sickness disappears, that’s the eradication of sickness. This should wake you up like a bop on the head, making you realize that not only will you get sick, you will also die. Did you know that? If you don’t hurry up and cultivate, then when impermanence arrives, you won’t be able to do anything about it, and what happens then will be miserable. Sickness is an omen warning you that you should quickly work hard on your cultivation and quickly wake up from your deluded dream. Don’t be unable to relinquish this and let go of that. When you die, you’ll have to let go of everything, whether you want to or not. I often recite this verse for you, and I’ll recite it again in case you have forgotten:

When I exhort you to do good,
you say you have no money, even if you do.
When disaster strikes,
you spend hundreds of thousands, even when you don’t have it.

When you are involved in some sort of accident, you manage to come up with millions of dollars, even if that money isn’t yours. If I invite you to a discussion on wholesome matters, you say you’d like to go, but you’re too busy.

You say, “It’s not that I don’t want to go, but unfortunately, I’m too busy to attend the sutra lecture.”

But the day your life ends and you go to the Yellow Spring*, you may be busy, but you still have to go! (*a reference to the underworld).

No matter how busy you are, King Yama is there waiting for you, saying, “I’m inviting you for a drink. Come right away! I won’t take no for an answer.” You go and drink his intoxicatingliquor, and then forget about everything you did before. You don’t have any idea of what will happen in the future either. This is very dangerous.

Medicine-ruling Spirit Universally Shining Majestic Radiance has entered this passage into liberation of being able to eradicate all illnesses.

This is a verse in praise of the Buddha spoken by Medicine-ruling SpiritAuspicious. She says: The Thus Come One’s full, perfect wisdom is inconceivable. We sentient beings also have something which is inconceivable—our ignorance. What is ignorance? It is the inability to distinguish between right and wrong, proper and deviant. We do not know what is proper and what is deviant. We do not differentiate between black and white. We say that what is black is white, and what is white is black. Basically, the terms “black” and “white” are not absolute. If we had named the black color “white” in the beginning, it would be known as “white.” And the term “white” might be used to refer to black things. If we decide to call white things “black,” then white becomes black.

You can establish merit by giving. There is also merit in holding precepts, being patient, and being vigorous. The merit of the four paramitas helps you to attain samadhi, and when that samadhi is full and complete, wisdom arises. If you lack merit and virtue, however, it is very easy to go astray. Merit and virtue help you to achieve samadhi more quickly. Therefore, in cultivation, take care not to be stingy and unable to give things away. You have to give, before you can get. Thus, it is essential to first practice giving, holding precepts, patience, and vigor, to help you gain samadhi. Once you have samadhi, wisdom can develop. When your skill in samadhi is deep, you will have wisdom. This is similar to studying. When you have studied a great deal, your character will become refined. There is a saying:

An inconceivable state basically cannot be described in words. It is beyond conception and impossible to talk about. Nevertheless, I have “added a head on top of a head” in trying to say a few things about it. You should not follow my example and add yet another head on top of that, for then there would be three heads! Two heads is already a lot. If another head is added, then you would have three heads and six arms. You see that GuanyinBodhisattva has more than three heads and six arms, and Junti Bodhisattva also has many hands and eyes. GuanyinBodhisattva has a thousand hands and a thousand eyes, and he really has three heads. But the heads that you add on are dead.

If you don’t have vows, it’s like not having a boat when you want to cross the river. Without a boat, you will certainly be drowned. Since I don’t wish my disciples to drown, I’m telling you to make vows. It doesn’t matter how great or small your vows are. If your vow is as small as a particle of dust, you still have a dust-particle-sized boat and you won’t fall into the sea of suffering, especially the sea of measureless woes being discussed in the sutra. If you make vows, you can “extinguish the measureless woes of the confused multitudes.” Your vows should be made in stone, not in a pile of ashes or sand. They shouldn’t be soft and weak, with no foundation. Your vows should be based on solid ground and reach up to the sky, as firm and hard as rock. Only then do they count. “If you want me to die, fine; but if you want me to give up studying the Buddhadharma, I won’t.” Your vows should be that strong. “If you want me to die, fine; but if you want me to eat meat, I won’t. I’ll die before I eat a bite of meat.”

The Great Hero’s skillful expedients are hard to fathom. The Buddha is a great hero, a great man, and a great teacher. He is worthy of all these titles. We sentient beings call ourselves heroes, great men, and teachers, but we lack the true qualifications. The Buddha alone is deserving of these names. What is meant by Great Hero? It does not refer to one who draws his sword and is ready to fight. Great heroes are not aggressive and belligerent bullies who get others to obey orders by force. Great heroes can cultivate practices that others cannot cultivate, endure adversities that others cannot endure, and undergo suffering that others cannot undergo. Shakyamuni Buddha is an example of someone who cultivated practices that others cannot cultivate.

During that incredibly long period of time, he was consistently vigorous and never lax. Thus, he cultivated what others could not. The Buddha also endured adversities that others would find unbearable. For instance, his limbs were severed from his body by KingKali. Most people would not have been able to endure that, but the Buddha did. Not only did he bear it, he vowed, “When I become a Buddha, you will be the first one I will take across to Buddhahood. Why? Because you are a genuine good advisor of mine. You are a true helper and protector. Out of concern for me, you have helped me succeed and develop my resolve for bodhi and reach the fruition of the Way. Therefore, I am determined to save you first.” Take a look. KingKali sliced off the Buddha’s flesh and his four limbs, yet the Buddha still vowed to save the king. Isn’t that a prime example of enduring adversities that others cannot endure?

He also underwent suffering that others cannot undergo. We of the presenttime are quite shameless. We eat one meal a day, and think we have some skill in cultivation. We think, “In the heavens and on earth, I alone am honored.” Observe how Shakyamuni Buddha endured the cold of the Snow Mountains. From the name “Snow Mountains,” it’s obvious that it was cold. The snow on those mountains was so thick that it didn’t melt even in summertime. Even though it was bitterly cold, the Buddha ate only one sesame seed and one grain of wheat each day. We, in comparison, drink milk and eat oatmeal, butter, bread, delicious white rice, and yellow ginger with purple sprouts. If we want seasonings such as chili, pepper, soy sauce, or salt, they are all available. When the Buddha was in the Snow Mountains, I doubt he had any of these seasonings. Why? Because the Buddha wasn’t as pathetic as we are. He wasn’t constantly wondering, “What are we going to have for lunch today? Will there be tofu? How about marshmallows?” Such are the idle thoughts we have. As we attend the Buddharecitation session, our thoughts take us right into the kitchen. Our minds wander into the kitchen to see what’s for lunch. It’s not a Buddharecitation session we’re holding; it’s a food session!

“Hard to fathom”: Ultimately, what kind of expedient method should we use? Which one is most suitable for the occasion? Only the Buddhaknows. We sentient beings often think a certain method is right, but it turns out to be wrong. We think another method is wrong, but it is actually right. Therefore the line says that the Buddha’sexpedient means are hard to fathom; they are not easy to understand.

This can be compared to when people make a resolve to save the world. How can the world be saved? One person alone cannot do it. It takes the effort of many people to save the world. However, if everyone just looks at one another and does nothing, the world will soon come to an end. You ought to bring forth the bodhi resolve to save sentient beings, not caring whether other people are doing this work. You should think, “I see that this is a job I ought to do, and so I’m just going to go ahead and do it.”

The work of saving the world is everyone’s responsibility. Since it’s everyone’s responsibility, I ought to do my share and not wait for others. That way, there’s a real possibility for the world to be saved.

If you understand, then the person is speakingDharma for you. If you don’t understand, then he is just doing something to keep from being idle. His work is superfluous and unnecessary. He thinks this world is a lot of fun, so he has come to play. The Bodhisattvas of the eighth, ninth, and tenth grounds have all come here to play. That’s called the playful samadhi. Therefore, why get attached to the matter of whether or not he gets sick? If you want to think along those lines, you ought to ask why an eighth groundBodhisattva is not free from death. Why did he die? That’s the biggest question. Sickness is a minor matter in comparison.

The two “Three Steps One Bow” monks could be said to be great heroes. If they weren’t great heroes, they wouldn’t be able to do what they’re doing. In the future, all of you should become great heroes. We’ll become a hundred billion great heroes—heirs of Shakyamuni Buddha endowed with great might and great compassion.

When the Buddha cultivated the Way, he was vigorous in the six periods of the day and night. For the sake of seeking the Buddhadharma and attaining the Buddha Way, the Buddha renounced both internal and external wealth. External wealth refers to one’s country, cities, wife, and children. Internal wealth refers to one’s body, mind, life, and parts of the body, such as the head, eyes, brains, and marrow. The Buddha was able to give all of those away. He truly practiced the teachings and honestly applied himself to cultivation.

The Thus Come One, from every pore,
Emits bright light that extinguishes all disasters,
Putting an end to all the world’s afflictions.
Shining spirit enters this passage.

Commentary

The Buddha is hard to encounter in a hundred thousand eons. It is hard to get to hear the Buddhadharma. It is hard to obtain a human body. It is hard to get to be born in the United States. It is difficult to encounter a good advisor. As the verse goes,

The unsurpassed, profound, subtle and wonderful Dharma
Is difficult to encounter in a hundred million eons.
I now see and hear it, receive and maintain it,
And I vow to understand the Thus Come One’s true meaning.

Just as it is hard to encounter the Dharma in a hundred million eons, it is also not easy to meet up with the Buddha in a hundred million eons. Sometimes you meet him without recognizing him. Most people don’t realize they have met the Buddha until after the event. Zhu-ge Liang was able to know about things before they happened, but most people are confused when things happen and only figure out what’s going on later on.

If there are those who get to see him or hear his name . This is a hypothetical statement, “if…” Basically, this situation neither exists nor does not exist. But suppose there are people who see the Buddha or hear his name. It is not in vain, and they will certainly benefit. They will gain advantages, and the situation will not have been totally worthless. Universal Renown spirit, a Medicine-ruling Spirit with a great reputation, understands thus this passage into liberation.

Their delusion and karma lead to endless kinds of suffering. “Delusion” means the same thing as ignorance. Sentient beings become deluded, create karma, and receive retribution, over and over again. They keep revolving in this cycle, never managing to get out. Turning around and around, they don’t know what they are doing. This results in limitlessly many kinds of suffering.

Let me tell you a principle that many people might find unbelievable, but that ghosts and spirits will believe. Because people are too intelligent, people may be unable to believe this because they are too intelligent. Or their disbelief could also be due to excessive ignorance. Why is that? Those who are overly intelligent will not believe because their intelligence takes them too far. Those who are overly dull will not believe either, because their dullness does not reach the mark. What is this principle? It has to do with the library. There are libraries in various places in the world, and we ought to take good care of them. For example, we can install wooden shelves with glass doors to protect the books from getting dusty. Despite the protective measures taken in libraries, sometimes damage does occur. The damage or loss might come from the overprotectiveness of the librarian. For example, for the sake of protecting the books, he might take them to his own home and put them on his bed.

“Dharma Master, what you’re saying about libraries is not a very profound principle. It’s quite common and easy to understand.” I haven’t gotten to the profound part yet. Don’t be impatient. I’ve just made the point that people go to a lot of trouble to protect the books in libraries. For example, the members of the Sangha have to protect the Tripitaka—the Buddhist Canon. If there is instability in one country, they will move it to another country. If that country becomes unsafe, they will transport it to yet another country. But when the Sangha members die, it’s not known who will protect the Canon.

“What in the world is he talking about?” another person is wondering. “The more he says, the more ordinary it sounds.” Now I’ll tell you something out of the ordinary. When you open your Buddha eye, your Dharma eye, and your wisdom eye, take a look and you will see that throughout emptyspace and the Dharma Realm, there is an uncountable number of libraries. These libraries don’t need anyone to watch over them, and yet the books don’t get lost either. Do you believe this? What’s more, every Bodhisattva, Buddha, and Arhat is there reading the infinite, inexhaustible Dharma Treasury. Every sage is there reciting his own never-ending sutra. None of these sutras need to be protected. If you haven’t opened the Buddha eye, the Dharma eye, or the wisdom eye, then don’t even try to understand what this state is all about. I knew that if I spoke about it, no one would believe me. Nonetheless, I cannot hold back and not speak. When it’s time to speak, I must speak.

“Where are these sutras?” you ask. “There’s nothing there in space. How come you say there are all those sutras there?” You say there’s nothing in space? Space contains everything whatsoever. It’s just that blind people cannot see the state of wonderful existence. For example, although the Buddha sends forth brilliant light everywhere, people without eyes cannot see it.

We who study Buddhism should avoid indulging in far-out fantasies. The higher and farther our thoughts take us, the less we understand what’s right in front of us. Some people devote all their time to investigating rocks on the moon. But do they completely understand the rocks on earth—how they are formed and how they develop? If they don’t even understand the rocks on earth, what are they studying moon rocks for? That’s a case of renouncing what is near to seek what is far away, neglecting what is fundamental to pursue what is superficial.

Seeing this, the Buddha wrinkles his brow and wonders, “What can be done? These sentient beings have forgotten about themselves and only ‘make weddingclothes for others.’” They use cloth to help other girls make weddingclothes, but don’t get married themselves. This is also known as “neglecting your own fields and going to till someone else’s fields.”

This is the passage into liberation of the Medicine-ruling Spirit Shining Majestic Radiance.

We who are students of the Buddhadharma should learn a little bit, and then put that little bit into practice. That’s the important thing. If you learn something, but fail to apply it, then it’s the same as not learning it. After listening to sutra and Dharma lectures, we must diligently reflect upon ourselves and actually practice the principles we have learned. Never fear that you know too little. Only fear that you cannot cultivate. No matter how much you know, your knowledge is useless if you don’t apply it

At Gold Mountain Monastery, we have sutra lectures and Dharma talks every single day. The Buddhadharma is like the blood in our veins. It cannot stop flowing. After listening to the Dharma, we must cultivate in accordance with it. Otherwise, we would be wasting our time.

In particular, if you are still young, if would be worthless to devote valuable time to the study of the Buddhadharma if you do not follow through with actual practice.

If we want Buddhism to flourish, we must cultivate diligently. No one at Gold Mountain Monastery should be lazy and sneak off to take a break. Everyone should do the work together and cultivate together. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be much point to our living in this icebox together. We eat only one meal a day, and many peoplesleep sitting up. If, in spite of all this, we fail to cultivate diligently, then our efforts are in vain.

Take a look at Guo Zhan. Since I criticized him for dozing off during the sutra lectures, he now stands up to listen to the sutras. I see that Guo Hang is still dozing off as he listens to the lectures. He is constantly in the sleepingsamadhi. I don’t know when he will come out of it.

Good advisors, time is precious. Don’t squander it casually. At all times, you should call your own name and ask yourself, “What am I doing here?” This evening it was originally Guo Zhan’s turn to lecture, not mine. However, since I am going to Seattle tomorrow, I will not be here tomorrow evening or Thursday. Therefore I am lecturing one night earlier. Tomorrow evening, since I will not be here, I invited Dharma Miaojing (“Wonderful State”) to lecture in my place. Even when I am here, I want to ask Dharma Master Miaojing to speak in my place, since I’m getting old and the younger generation should do more. However, he always excuses himself saying that his throat is hoarse. My throat is in much better condition than his. So I am only asking him to lecture on Wednesday and Thursday evening. He can probably lecture two evenings without getting tired out.

I’m telling everyone this good news tonight, so you can go home and tell your friends and relatives to come listen to the wonderful Dharma being lectured in a wonderful state. Don’t miss this marvelous opportunity. I’ll be back on Friday. During these two days, you will get to study some wonderful Dharma and then you can bury the crude dharma you learned before.

At that time, Forest-ruling Spirit Spreading Flowers like Clouds received the Buddha’s awesome spiritual power, universally contemplated the multitudes of Forest-ruling Spirits, and spoke the following verse.

At that time, Forest-ruling Spirit Spreading Flowers Like Clouds received the Buddha’s awesomespiritual power, universally contemplated all the multitudes of Forest-ruling Spirits, boundlessly many of them, not just one, and spoke the following verse to explain certain principles which were not fully explained earlier.

In the past, the Buddha cultivated practices for bodhi . In the past, the Buddha accumulated the practices for bodhi, so that starting out with a little, he gradually acquired a great amount. This accumulation took him from the near to the far, from the shallow to the profound, from not having any to having them. The Buddha started out being the same as sentient beings. However, he vigorously cultivated all manner of practices. In the beginning, he had no practices. So, he went from nothing to something. Then, when he had something, he went from one bodhi practice to many bodhi practices. He did not bypass even the smallest opportunity to do good. Therefore, starting out with a little, he accumulated a lot. He did all kinds of difficult ascetic practices. He was able to endure what most people found unendurable and cultivate what most people could not cultivate. In this way, he amassed a large quantity of bodhi practices, thereby achieving perfect blessings, virtue, and wisdom. Having perfected both blessings and wisdom, he is known as the Doubly Perfect Honored One.

The Sino-American Buddhist Association at Gold Mountain Monastery was established out of the Buddhist Lecture Hall. In the beginning, some people founded the Buddhist Lecture Hall. Later on, it became the Sino-American Buddhist Association. Since the establishment of the Sino-American Buddhist Association in 1968, we have held Buddharecitation sessions and Chan sessions annually. These sessions have quietly gone by without much notice. Every year we hold them, but even the people right here in San Francisco are not aware of them, not to mention people elsewhere. Why not? First of all, it’s because we have not done any publicity. Our intention is to cultivate honestly. If other people hear about our sessions and wish to participate, they are most welcome. But even if no one knows, we continue to hold our sessions regardless. We don’t advertise, “Hey, there’s a Chan session going on! You ought to make offerings to these cultivators who have attained the state of freedom from thought.”

In China, the offerings given during a recitation session could last a monastery for a whole year. The income from one recitation session would more than cover a whole year’s expenditures. During Chan sessions, many people would make offerings in order to create affinities with the assembly. The offerings would pour in—huge quantities of rice, oil, flour, and so on. In the United States, on the other hand, since we have not resorted to any tactics to get offerings, we haven’t received any. If we were clever at using exploitative strategies, perhaps the offerings would be even more abundant than in China. Why do we refrain from using any strategies or maneuvers? We are determined to practice sincerely and leave it to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to take care of us. When the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and the eight divisions of gods, dragons, and Dharma-protecting spirits see us truly working hard, we will naturally obtain a response. However, if we are not really applying ourselves, then we ought to be very ashamed of receiving offerings. There is a saying which goes:

At noon we chant, “The Buddha told the Bhikshus: While eating, observe the Five Contemplations.” The Five Contemplations are:

Consider the amount of work involved to bring the food to where it is eaten.
Consider whether or not one’s virtuous conduct is sufficient to enable one to accept the offering.
Guard the mind from transgression, of which greed is the principlecause.
Properly taken, the food is like medicine, to keep the body from wasting away.
This food is accepted only in order to realize the Way.

If we can practice these Five Contemplations, th e n we can digest even gold. Don’t take this literally and think that if you eat a piece of gold, your stomach will be able to break it down. This line means that you deserve to eat the finest and most expensive foods.

The Chan session begins tonight. Our Chan session differs from those held in China. In China, Chan sessions are basically “eating sessions.” In the evening the cultivators are served steamed dumplings with sesame oil. This is the case even at Gold Mountain and Gaomin Monasteries. The bigger the dumplings, the more energy the cultivators have. The more sesame oil, the more slippery their mouths. With slippery mouths, they get slippery heads. “Slippery heads” refers to people who join the session in order to eat sesame oil dumplings. Many old Chancultivators, who have cultivated for so long that their hair has turned white, their teeth have fallen out, their ears have gone deaf, and their eyes no longer see well, are still attached to sesame oil dumplings. If one place doesn’t offer sesame oil dumplings, they will go to another. They search out the place with the best-tasting sesame oil dumplings. I am not slandering Chinesecultivators by saying that they are attached to food. I’m simply telling the truth. This is one point where our session differs from those in China.

In our session, no sesame oil dumplings or other snacks are served. What do I mean by snacks? Sometimes, during sessions in China, when you were sitting there you might be given two or four guiyuan (dried longans) to eat. Crackers might be passed out at another period. In yet another period, you might get a piece of rice-crisp to eat. That deep-fried rice-crisp tastes even better than what he had today. Sometimes you would be given peanut candy as a way to create affinity. The laypeople all wanted to make offerings to the cultivators who had attained non-thought, but they were actually causing them to have thoughts of eating. Sometimes tea is served, and one can tell whether a person is a seasoned cultivator by the way he holds his teacup. The teacup has to be held in a certain way. Drinking tea, eating crackers and sesame oil dumplings, one comes to have a perpetually stuffed belly. If one cannot even fit anything in one’s belly, how can one expect to accomplish anything?

In our Chan session, we start in the early morning and alternately walk and sit. Sometimes milk or tea is offered, but there is nothing to eat. It is quite austere. Our session is one of austere practice. We try to practice what others cannot practice. During this “birth and death” session, you must keep the words “birth and death” before your eyes. Don’t forget about birth and death. Don’t decide, “I haven’t had enough sleep. I’m really tired. I might as well sit here and enter the sleepingsamadhi.” If you do that, you’ll achieve nothing. You must renouncelife and forget about death as you participate in the session. Paying no heed to birth and death, diligently apply effort in the session. Be determined to attain the benefit you ought to attain. Don’t just follow the crowd, mindlessly walking and sitting when you see others doing so. Don’t think, “I just follow everyone else. When I see someone else doze off, I doze off too.”

I will tell you that in all the Chan sessions I participated in, the proctor never had to hit me with the incense board, because I never slept. I sat in the Chan Hall during the daytime, and at night I continued sitting in the hall. The words “rest” and “sleep” were not part of my vocabulary. In my student days, I never wasted a single second. I constantly worked at developing my skill.

All of you have deep, thick, good roots. You are endowed with intelligence and wisdom. You ought to realize the importance of this session. In this year’s Chan session, I insist that someone must get enlightened. If no one becomes enlightened, then after the session everyone will receive one hundred strokes of the incense board. If you feel you can bear that, then don’t get enlightened. If you don’t think you can take it, you’d better get enlightened. If you are really scared, you can back out before the Chan session starts. That’s acceptable. Once the session begins, however, you cannot retreat. Once you enter the Chan Hall, you bid farewell to birth and death, and you are not allowed to leave. Even if you die, we will simply stick your body under the meditation bench and not carry it out. If you haven’t died, then you have even less reason to casually leave. We are setting up the threshold of life and death. If you are not on the side of life, then you are on the side of death. If you are not on the side of death, then you are on the side of life.

If you cannot renouncedeath, you will not gain life in return.
If you cannot renounce the false, you will not achieve the true.

That is the threshold of Gold Mountain Monastery. This year’s Chan session differs from past sessions. First of all, we have a good advisor from Hong Kong with us. “What is a good advisor from Hong Kong coming to our Chan session for?” you ask. I’ll tell you, it’s not that he has not attended Chan sessions before. He has been in Chan sessions, but now he’s come to see what a Chan session in America is like. He wants to see if it is very beautiful. [Note: The Chinesename for America is ‘Beautiful Country’.] So, all you Americans should be nice and beautiful. Don’t show your ugly side. By your ugly side, I mean things like breaking down in tears during the session and crying, “How can I endure this? I’ve got to leave!” If the good advisor from Hong Kong sees that, he will laugh so hard his front teeth will fall out.

Secondly, there are two other good advisors. They are not from Hong Kong, Taiwan, or New York. They are from Gold Mountain Monastery. Who are they? You know them very well, and so do I. Before I tell you who they are, you feel they are very rare. Once I tell you, they will seem very ordinary.

One of them is Guo Yu, and the other is Guo Dao. Today, they took the bus from Garberville and have come back in time to join our Chan session. After the Chan session, they will resume their Three Steps One Bowpilgrimage to pray for worldpeace. The first time they telephoned, I asked them whether or not they were going to attend the Chan session. They said they would do as I told them. Today they called again to say that they were not going to follow instructions, but were going to come back for the Chan session. When they asked for my permission, I told them they were most welcome to join the session, but that they must get enlightened.

Everyone should make sure not to miss the opportunity to join this year’s Chan session. No matter what, you should be determined to recognize your own original face. If any of you fail to recognize your own face, don’t think about leaving Gold Mountain Monastery. You’ll be locked up in jail here. That’s a general introduction to this year’s Chan session.

Tell Guo Yi to go buy some more ginger. During the Chan session we will boil ginger soup to drink in the morning. I still have some ginseng left, so I will offer everyone ginseng tea. That way, no one will have to engage in idle thinking about stealing ginseng. Today somebody gave me some longan fruit, which I will offer to the assembly during the session.

During the session, we need not hold the full morning and evening recitations. The Three Refugesceremony will suffice. We also need not hold the meal offeringceremony or recite the offeringchant at the dining hall. We just go over to take our meal, and once we finish we should immediately return to the Chan Hall to do walking meditation. After the head of the assembly finishes his meal, he should strike the wall with the incense board, giving the wall more to “eat,” so to speak. The sutra lecture will be replaced with an instructional talk at 7 p.m. during the session.

In most places traditionally there is a “resting” sitting period, usually from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m., during which anyone who wants to sleep may do so, either sitting on the Chan bench, or going back to their own room. This year we can also have this expedient. We didn’t have this during the fourteen week Chan session. But this year if we allow people to sleep for an hour during that time, perhaps they will not doze off so much at night. All of you should look into it and see if you want to try it out. It doesn’t matter to me. If you want to sleep, go ahead. If you want to stick to the old way, you can keep on sitting. It’s up to you. I’m just making a suggestion.

Did we used to have a sutra lecture on Sunday during the Chan sessions? I don’t remember anymore. During this two-week Chan session, we won’t have a sutra lecture on Sundays. We will simply concentrate on attending the session.

From 9:30-10:30 in the morning, we can also have some instructional talks. Everyone should discuss it and see whether you can take turns giving talks. Find out who is willing to speak. If no one is willing, then we don’t have to have talks. Whoever is willing to speak may give instructional talks. However, during a Chan session, instructional talks are considered an interruption. So, it’s fine to have them, and it’s also fine not to have them.

The Thus Come One’s tranquil, exquisite voice proclaims forever,
Evoking matchless, great happiness in everyone.
Comprehending according to their inclinations, each becomes enlightened.
This is the method of practice of ThunderSound.

Why do sentient beings become sentient beings? Since they are totally upside down, mistaking right for wrong and wrong for right. They cannot distinguish right from wrong, and so they do many deluded things. People study the Buddhadharma in order to learn how not to be upside down. When we are not upside down, we will attain purity. Once we attain purity, we will be happy.

[Answer to a question:] The “ten thousand virtues” simply refer to the myriad virtues which adorn the Buddha. There is no other meaning. In asking this question, is he hoping to be upside down, or not upside down, or upside down yet not upside down?

At that time, Mountain-ruling Spirit Blossoms All Around received the Buddha Shakyamuni’s awesomespiritual power, by which she universally contemplated the multitudes of Mountain-ruling Spirits, and spoke the following verse. She was able to do this through the Buddha’sspiritual power. She did not claim that she herself had such power and spiritual penetrations. Instead, she relied upon the Buddha’s great awesome spiritual power to contemplate the multitudes of Mountain-ruling Spirits in the Flower AdornmentDharma Assembly. There were not just one or two, but infinitely many Mountain-ruling Spirits. The ten mentioned earlier in the text are the leaders. Now, this spirit speaks a verse.

His body, adorned with myriad hallmarks, pervades all worlds.
Light issues from his pores, purifying everything.
With expedients of great kindness he instructs all.Flower Grove Wondrous Topknot awakens to this passage.

Commentary

His body, adorned with myriad hallmarks, pervades all worlds. The Thirty-two Hallmarks and Eighty SubtleCharacteristics adorn the Buddha’sbody, which pervades all worlds. The Buddha is nowhere and yet everywhere. His presence pervades the worlds. Light issues from his pores, purifying everything. Each of the Buddha’s pores emits limitless light. Within that limitless light, more limitless light pours forth, and so on, in multi-layered profusion and mutual illumination. The lights from his pores mutually shine upon one another and upon all worlds, making them pure.

When I was practicing filial piety by my mother’s grave, a cultivator named Zhi Yi sent me a big basket of dumplings called wowotou. Wowotou is the kind of food that the monkZhao Zhou wanted to find out about. He embarked on a quest to discover what food was known as “two inside and eight outside.” The food is so named because to make it, one places two thumbs inside and eight fingers outside to shape the dough into the form of a bowl. Zhi Yi was a Bhikshu, and he maintained the practice of eating only one meal a day. He sent me a huge basket of these wowotou, over a hundred of them. I ate two per day and didn’t pay too much attention to them. One day I looked in the basket and found long, furry mold growing on the dumplings at the bottom. Those moldy dumplings tasted horrible—worse than excrement. The other day I mentioned that those who eat meat should be able to eat excrement. Well, if you gave me excrement, I could eat it. If those people can do that, then you can acknowledge that they have some skill, that they have no thoughts of discrimination. Those moldy wowotou were than excrement. They were spicy, stinky, and sour—truly awful. I removed the mold and ate them all the same. [To a disciple) You can also eat that kind of food. For example, if you want to be there for a month, you can make ninety steamed dumplings and eat three a day. You can make one-pound dumplings!

He practiced intensely for eons without growing lax.
Untainted by worldly things, he resembles space.
With various skillful means, he transforms the flocks of beings.
The one named Jeweled Topknot awakens to this Dharma door.

Commentary

He practiced intensely from beginningless time until now, through an unknown number of great eons, without growing lax. The Buddha was never lazy. He was brave and vigorous, never letting a second pass in vain. He cherished every second as if it were worth more than gold. Our Chan sessions and Buddharecitation sessions are examples of intense practice. During the Buddharecitation sessions, we rise at four in the morning and recite the Buddha’sname, putting effort in cultivation all day long and not resting until ten o’clock at night. This is diligent cultivation. We diligently cultivate precepts, samadhi, and wisdom, and extinguish greed, anger, and delusion, and in our cultivation we do not grow lax or lazy. We cultivate that way during Buddharecitation sessions. During Chan sessions, we are even more vigorous, starting at 2:30 in the morning and retiring at midnight. We sleep only two hours or so each night. That’s another case of diligent cultivation. But we cultivate this way only for a limited time. Our Buddharecitation sessions are one week long, and our Chan sessions are two weeks long. The Buddha isn’t as lazy as we are. He doesn’t have any fixed sessions. He is diligent day after day, month after month, year after year. In general, he is diligent at all times.

Out of pity for sentient beings who mistake right for wrong and wrong for right, who confuse black with white and white with black, who are so upside down that they mistake a thief for their son, the Buddha shines his light upon them, / Waking everyone in the world from their slumbers, causing them to bring forth great wisdom and attain enlightenment.

Earth-ruling Spirit Fragrant Shining Hairs must have a hairy body. Most people’s bodyhairsmells of sweat and grime. Cowhair gives off a rank odor, and horsehairsmells of horses. In America there is a kind of animal that causes a stink, and it can be said to have stinky fur. This Earth-ruling Spirit, however, has fragrant hair. Her hairs give off a fragrance. People who uphold the precepts purely emit fragrance. Those who are not pure in the precepts have a stench about them. They smell worse than fish. No matter what deodorant or perfume they apply, they still stink. This Earth-ruling Spirit’s hairs are not only fragrant, but also radiant. As a result of cultivating pureDharma, she has a pure, fragrant light. She gained a passage into liberation of understanding the sea of merit and virtue and the tremendous, awesome power of all Buddhas. As a result of having cultivated a sea of merit and virtue, the Buddhas have great awesome power. All cultivators should possess such great awesome power. When you are afraid to lecture on the sutras in front of certain audiences, you have been intimidated and overwhelmed by the awesome presence of those audiences. If you yourself possess great awesome spiritual power, then no matter who comes to listen, you will not be afraid. Even if the president or the emperor is listening, it’s all the same to you. Earth-ruling Spirit Fragrant Shining Hairs entered this passage into liberation.

“I’m still not sure I believe this,” you say. Then let’s take dreams. Sometimes peopledream about events that are not due to occur for several decades. Sometimes we also dream of long-forgotten events from decades past—events from childhood. This is also a case of moving the past into the present, the present into the future, and the future into the past. I remember that some forty years ago, I dreamed I was sitting on a Dharma seat and there were some foreigners lecturing on the Flower Adornment Sutra. I didn’t understand the vision then, but now it has become a reality! I saw this in a dream forty some years ago. Not only did I see this state, I dreamed of many others as well. Now I say to myself, “So that’s what it was.” How do you explain this? If we can see future events in dreams, then why do you doubt that the Buddha can manifest the entire Dharma realm within his pores, including the merit and virtue of past and presentsentient beings?

If you have opened the Five Eyes, you can also see events of the past, present, and future. You can see, “Oh, when I was a little kid, I climbed around on the floor naked. So that’s how it was.” Or, “When I die, I’ll lie there and my breathing will stop. That’s how it will be.” Or, “I’m going to sit there and pass away.” You can see all these things. You can know what the circumstances of your death will be, how many disciples and laypeople will be at your side and who they will be.

“You muddle-headed teacher,” said King Xila. “How can you tell me I have to pay a debt when he’s the one who beat me up? The facts are clear. You sure don’t know how to teach. You’re really confused.” He scolded his teacher like that.

“Fine,” said his teacher. “If you want to return to lay life, go ahead. But why don’t you stay overnight and go back tomorrow?” Since it was getting late, the disciple reasoned that he might as well leave the next morning. That night, the VenerableMahakatyayana appeared in his dream to teach him. In his dream, he returned to lay life and mobilized the country’s troops for war. He chose several great generals and led several tens of thousands of soldiers to attack the other king’s country. He lost every battle. At the end of every battle, his troops fled in defeat. Finally, all the troops and generals were dead, and he was the only one left. He was captured by the enemy king and interrogated, “Why did you invade my country? As a prisoner of war, you must die.” He was bound and taken to be executed. Right before his execution, he remembered his teacher and thought in remorse, “Teacher, I scolded you for being muddled. If only I had listened to you, I would not have suffered such utter defeat. Teacher, please be compassionate and save me.” Just as he was pleading, the executioner swung the knife and chopped his head off. Right then, he woke up and realized it was all a dream.

If you lack good roots, then even if you wish to leave home, you won’t be able to. If you possess good roots but the circumstances are unfavorable, you still won’t be able to fulfill your wish. Some people say things like, “So-and-so is supposed to leave home, and so he has. I’m not supposed to, and so I haven’t.” What does “supposed to” mean? It simply means if you do leave home, then you’re supposed to. If you don’t leave home, then you’re not supposed to. If you’re supposed to leave home and you don’t, then you’re actually not supposed to leave home. If you’re not supposed to leave home but you do leave home, then you’re really supposed to. So, with the Path, it all depends on whether or not you walk it. Take Guo Lian [a young disciple under ten years of age], for example. He was supposed to leave home, but some people wouldn’t let him, so he couldn’t. Today he was in a car accident. You could say that’s a warning for him. He often talked about committing suicide. He should have been killed in the car accident, but he survived. On the other hand, he was supposed to leave home, but he didn’t. Therefore, nothing is definite. As the sutras say, “There are no fixed dharmas.” If a person is supposed to die, but he cultivates, then he won’t die. If someone is not supposed to die, but he doesn’t cultivate, then he might meet his death.

This reminds of when I was in Manchuria and I went with the Abbot of my temple to a village called Erdaogou (Double Trench) to solicit offerings. There was a boy named Sheng, whose father was named Wang. The boy was eleven or twelve years old—I don’t remember exactly because it was so long ago. He suffered from chronic stomach aches, and all the doctors’ treatments were to no avail. When we went to his house, the father knelt down, blocking the doorway, so we couldn’t go inside. Some peoplethought he didn’t want to give us offerings and was trying to make us leave. When we asked him why he was kneeling, he said, “My son, Sheng, has been ill for a long time. Now that the Elder Good One is here, he can save him.” Buddhists called the Abbot “Elder Abbot,” whereas those who did not understand the Buddhadharma addressed him as “Elder Good One,” “Old Cultivator,” or “Filial Son Wang.” He had many names.

This man begged the Abbot to save his son’s life and cure him. The Abbot turned to me and told me to do something. I said, “What can I do?”

He said, “When we were at Daba, you saved the life of a dying child. Why don’t you take a look at him?”

“Tell your boy to come here,” I told the father. The father called the son, and both of them knelt before me. I saw at once that the boy looked just like a monk. “If you want him to get well, send him to the temple to leave home. He will certainly get well.”

“If he gets well, I will certainly send him to leave home,” said the father.

“Fine,” I said. “He will get well in less than half a month.” The father was very happy. Basically he was very poor, but he gave an offering of ten dollars. We took our leave. Later, the son did get well. I kept my eye out for the boy, hoping he would leave the home-life. After a month, I passed through his village again and made a special visit to his home. When I asked his father, the father said the boy was well, and I said, “You’d better send him to the temple to leave home.”

“In a few days,” said the father. I left. After another month passed, I went to see them again. “Is the boy well?” I asked.

“He is,” said the father.

“Then you’d better send him to the monastery to leave home right away. Otherwise, his sickness will recur. This is the second time I have come to see you. If he gets sick again, I will not pay any attention.” The father thought I was trying to scare me and didn’t take me seriously. Once his son was well, he could not bear to give him up.

The third time I passed by their village, I heard that the boy had fallen ill again more than ten days earlier. That time, I did not visit their home. However, the boy knew—he saw—when I passed by his home and said to his father, “This time I’m not going to get well. Today the monk from Three ConditionsTemple passed our house but didn’t come to see us. I probably won’t get well.”

“Don’t worry,” said the father. “Tomorrow I’ll go find him at the temple and take you to leave the home-life.” The father walked three or four miles to the temple. The boy stayed home, but strangely enough, his spirit followed the father to the temple. He saw which room his father was sitting in, the people he met, and everything that was in the temple. He saw it all very clearly. I was out that day, and so the father did not find me. When the father returned, the boy told him, “I followed you to the temple today.”

“But I didn’t see you,” said the father.

“But I saw you,” said the boy. “You talked to the Abbot, then you went to the Merit and Virtue Hall where there were a lot of plaques.” And he described the people who had been at the temple.

“Strange!” said the father. “You didn’t go, and yet you know exactly what I said and who I met, and all the people who were there.”

On my way back to the temple, I passed by their village again, and again the boy was aware of it. He told his father, “So-and-so from Three ConditionsTemple has passed by our house again without coming to call on us. It probably means I can’t leave home.” That evening, the boy called out, “Father, light the lamp and see if I’m sitting properly.” The father lit the lamp and saw the boy sitting there in full lotus posture. He was sitting very erect, but he had already died. He was supposed to leave the home-life and someone told him to leave home, but after he got well his father could not bear to give him up. In the end, he died. This goes to show that whether or not a person leaves home is not fixed. Basically he was supposed to leave home; I saw that he had the appearance of a monk. However, his parents could not bear to let him go. Consequently, he didn’t get to leave home. This child, even after his death, still follows me all the time. Although he did not leave home when he was alive, after death he understood that he should cultivate the Way. The problem of birth and death is not easy to resolve.

Dark and deluded sentient beings are as if blind and sightless. In their ignorance, they are shrouded by various obstacles and coverings. They are like monkeys always getting into mischief. Have you noticed how monkeys are always carrying something in each hand? They are never idle, but they never accomplish anything either. Sentient beings are the same way. They cannot relinquish their desires. For example, money-grubbers cravewealth. If they realized that money is not such a good thing, they’d be able to relinquish it. But once they cease to cravemoney, they start desiring beautiful forms or other things. “Various obstacles and coverings” includes the desires for wealth, lust, fame, food, and sleep. All these obstacles and coverings bind them up and cover them over so they cannot get free.

A: It depends on the dream. Some dreams are muddled; some are clear; some are stupid; some are wise. It depends on the kind of dream. If it ought to be remembered, one can remember it. If it shouldn’t be remembered, and one can forget it, that’s pretty good too.

A: People who are greedy for food often dream about eating. In their dream, they stuff their bellies eating their favorite food, and then they wake up with the taste still in their mouth. “What was I eating that was so sweet and delicious?” they wonder. “I wish I could have that dream again.” Would you call that a useful dream? I’d say it’s a most useful dream—you get full without having eaten anything! You eat your fill in your dream, and then you’re not hungry. You should always have this kind of dream. Then you don’t need to eat. Other dreams are pretty much the same.

When peoplefeelhot, they dream of fire. Those who are cold have dreams about ice or water. For example, if you get chilled as you sleep because your blanket falls away, you might dream that someone poured cold water over you. If you like to meditate, then in your dream you might sit very still and motionless in meditation, sitting even better than when you are awake. If you like to recite the Buddha’sname, you might do that in your dreams. If you enjoy bowing in repentance, you may find yourself bowing in your dreams. If you like to hold the precepts, you won’t break the precepts even in your dreams. These are good dreams, because they help you cultivate. If your dreams are not beneficial to your cultivation, then you should not attach much significance to them. Tomorrow’s Sutra text talks about dreams, so we won’t say too much today.

Dreams are basically unreal. Occasionally, however, they may manifest something real. There are different kinds of dreams. Therefore, the very best thing is to awaken as you are dreaming. If you see the Buddha and he speaks Dharma for you, your dream is a good one.

BodhimandaSpirit Raining Down Flowers Wondrous Eyes gained a passage into liberation of raining down all kinds of adornments made of a myriad treasures that are hard to give up. She made offerings of a myriad treasures in such profusion that they resembled rain. These treasures were the rarest of precious things, so rare that they could not be acquired at any price. Therefore, once one possesses them, one holds them very dear and cannot bear to give them up. In this state of the Buddha, she could give away these cherished treasures which most people cannot bear to give. She gave away all kinds of adorned articles made of these precious things.

“In that case, I’ll just praise myself all the time,” you say. “I will say: ‘In the heavens and below, I alone am honored. I am the most intelligent and wise person in the world.’” If you really are, then it’s alright to say that. If you aren’t and you hope to create a false reputation by praising yourself, it won’t work. You must have genuine gongfu [ spiritual skill]. Then you will be victorious in every battle, no matter who your opponent is. If you lack gongfu, you may claim to be a hero and a martial arts champion, but as soon as someone challenges you, you will be defeated. You will lose every battle. And so, such false claims are useless.

Measureless Dharma doors, each distinct in meaning, / The Buddha can enter…Since there are limitless Dharma doors, there are also limitless meanings, which makes for limitlessly many distinctions. To enter all Dharma doors and the wondrous meaning of all dharmas, one must be endowed with eloquence like a vast ocean. Since the Buddha possesses an eloquence of oceanic scope, he is able to enter the ocean of all Dharma doors. Bodhimanda SpiritRaining Down Jeweled Ornaments / Always recollects thus and understandsthis passage into liberation in thought after thought.

Throughout all lands, unspeakable in number, as numerous as motes of dust, when the Buddha was at the level of planting causes, he exhausted and used all worldly phrases and languages in praise of the Buddhas, / Thus obtaining the reward of great renown and great merit. BodhimandaSpirit Heroic Vision thus recalls and understand this passage into liberation.

The Buddha cultivated for measureless eons,
Making offerings to every Thus Come One.
He constantly rejoiced, never growing weary.
His practice of joy was deep and vast like an ocean.

Commentary

The Buddha cultivated all kinds of practices for measureless eons in the past, but his main practice was making offerings to every Thus Come One. He extensively practiced the giving of offerings to all Buddhas. He constantly rejoiced, never growing weary. In making offerings to all Buddhas at the level of planting causes, he never grew weary and said, “I’ve had enough. There are too many Buddhas to make offerings to.” The more Buddhas he made offerings to, the happier he was. He never got tired of doing this. His practice of joy and giving was extremely deep and vast like an ocean.

You should not think, “The sutra is being lectured every day, but I already understand it. There’s not much point in this.” You have these idle thoughts all day long. “Wouldn’t I be better off spending my time doing something else?” You ought to know that if you do something else instead of listening to the sutra, you will do even more idle thinking. For that reason, every day at this time, we lecture the sutra and speak Dharma. We get up early to do morning recitation and sit in meditation. These daily practices are to help you eliminate our bad habits and faults and prevent you from engaging in false thinking. However, you insist on indulging in your fantasies. What a pity!

The Guiding Master is inconceivable like this:
He is seen by sentient beings according to their wishes--
Perhaps sitting, or walking, or sometimes standing.
Limitless Aspects of Awesome Comportment awakens to this passage.

It is difficult to encounter a Buddha in a hundred thousand eons.
He comes forth to benefitbeings with mastery and ease,
Delivering all the world’s beings from poverty’s woes.
Supreme Light Adornment enters this state.

They constantly drift and wander along demonic byways. Take a look. Only a few people attend Dharma assemblies where the Dharma is lectured. There are only twenty people or so here studying the Buddhadharma. Rock concerts, however, are attended by thousands or tens of thousands people who have to buy tickets to get in. If a famous rock star’s records are being given away, everyone goes crazy trying to grab one; people even come to blows over it. This is exactly what this line is referring to—being influenced by demons’ insanity and constantly drifting and wandering. Dancing is a defileddharma, as are watching movies or plays. Nevertheless, people want to do these things and are willing to pay for them.

Our Dharma lectures are free, yet they don’t come. Maybe if we charged an entrance fee, they would want to come. If there is a striptease show, people will even go without sleep so they can watch it. Really, what is there worth seeing? What benefits are there in watching it? Even some who plan to leave the home life want to see one last striptease show. Isn’t that pathetic? That’s another example of following the insanity of demons and running about. People also know that taking drugs is harmful, yet they still buy it and take it. That is also to follow the insanity of demons and run about. The Thus Come One reveals the path of liberation for all these confused sentient beings. Protecting and Supporting awakens thus and enters. Multi-bodied Spirit One Who Protects and Gathers In is able to understand and awaken to this passage into liberation.

Who can explain the wordNarayana? What does it mean? [A disciple explains.] You cannot completely explain the meaning. If people want to know more, they have to investigate on their own. In lecturing the sutra, you cannot explain everything in full, for if you did, it’s not known when we would finish lecturing this sutra. You cannot fully explain all the meanings even in a short sutra, not to mention a long one. Even if a sutra is short, it takes a long time to completely explain its meanings.

For example, the Great MasterZhi Zhe of Tiantai spent ninety days explaining the wordmiao “wonderful.” You might say that he went into too much detail in his explanation. Actually, not to speak of ninety days, even nine months, nine years, or ninety years would not be enough time to fully explain the meaning of “wonderful,” simply because it is wonderful. One can only give people an general idea of what it means, regardless of whether the meaning of the term is good or not. People who want to know more will spend time investigating in greater depth on their own.

If you know how to apply the Buddhadharma, it is infinitely wonderful and mysterious. If you don’t know how to use it, it is like not being aware of a bright pearl that is sewn in your clothing. Once you discover the bright pearl, you can use it. The bright pearl can give you all kinds of treasures. You can use it forever, and it will never wear out. If you find the pearl in your clothing, you will be the richest person. If you wish for money, the pearl produces money. If you want gold, it produces gold. If you prefer silver, it gives you silver. You can have whatever you want. That is an analogy for the passage into liberation of conjuring tremendous spiritual transformations.

Vajra-wielding SpiritCelestialLord with Splendid Arms gained a passage into liberation of manifesting as all worldly leaders and enlighteningsentient beings. The wonderful thing about this spirit is that he can rub oil on his head using his hand. After rubbing, he turns into a slippery-head. When one hand is done rubbing, the other hand rubs some more. What is more, one hand can turn into countless hands, and those countless hands can turn back into one hand. One hand can become ten million hands, and ten million hands can become one hand, so he is said to have “splendid arms.” Splendid means inconceivable. With his hands, he can pick up as many things as he wishes.

Vajra-wielding Spirit Delightful Brightness understood the Buddha’s state and gained a passage into liberation of expounding all the different entrances into the Buddhadharma,so that they are fully understood without exception. He makes all sentient beings understand all the entrances into the different meanings within the Buddhadharma. They thoroughly understand all the principles of Buddhadharma without exception. That was this spirit’s passage into liberation.